How often in a given day do you laugh? Do you appreciate the value of laughter?
I have been spending time with my nieces and nephew, who are here visiting from Colorado, and we have been filling our days with all kinds of adventures. And LOTS of laughter. Much of the time there doesn’t even seem to be anything all that funny but still, the fits of laughter fill the air.
You know the kind of laughter that makes your stomach hurt? The kind that sometimes you can’t even explain when someone asks, “what’s so funny?” That’s what it was like yesterday while we sat on our inner tubes and floated effortlessly on the slow moving water. I can’t recall the last time I laughed so hard. Or even what was so funny.
I have seen articles that suggest an average child laughs 300 times a day while an adult laughs less than 20 times. Do you think these numbers are reasonable? Do they reflect reality in your life? Why is it that when we get older we laugh less?
I’m sure you’ve seen all the common quotes about laughter like “it’s the best medicine,” or “it’s the universal language,” and “laughter is sunshine for the soul.” I love all of those, but one I saw that I hadn’t heard was this:
“Children are happy because they don’t have a file in their minds called “all the things that could go wrong.”
I think it’s a great one and maybe can serve to remind us to be more carefree. It doesn’t mean we have to ignore our responsibilities, or make careless decisions, but just that sometimes we need to let go and live in the moments rather than being overwhelmed with worries of the future. The future will be here soon enough… let’s try to enjoy RIGHT NOW.
What quote about laughter is your favorite? Have you laughed today? How many times a day do you think you laugh?
I hope you have a great Wednesday… and that you experience some genuine belly-aching laughter soon. Maybe a funny movie should be on the agenda in the near future, or some quality time with little kids.